Letter to members N°1

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Colleagues,Greetings from CODESRIA.The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is the premier social science and humanities research organization in Africa. Founded 45 years ago, CODESRIA aims to strengthen research capacities of African social science and humanities academics and to project the best of African thinking on a range of academic issues and policy concerns. Over the years, Council has expanded its programmes and has recently finalized an internal review leading to plans for the next phase of programme implementation. This next phase has four key pillars; including up- scaling the quality of programmes, reducing vehicles for mobilizing research to one, the Meaning- Making Research Initiative, increasing funds allocated to each vehicle, more deliberately linking basic research to policy reflections, and expanding programmes to include a focus on special initiatives and revitalizing work on and in defense of Academic Freedoms in Africa.In order for these programmes to be relevant, membership is a key added pillar. While participation in our programmes is open to all Africans and is determined on a competitive basis, the need to maintain a core paid-up membership is urgent for CODESRIA. Paid-up members include all Africans who study and research in the social sciences and humanities plus those with a demonstrable interest in these areas. These include, but are not restricted to, university and research centre-based social science and humanities scholars.I am writing to invite you to be a paid-up member of CODESRIA given you are a past or current participant in a CODESRIA activity, or as an individual with demonstrable interest in the social sciences and humanities. Paid-up members stand to gain immensely. First, membership guarantees a place in a network of African scholarship that has a distinguished track-record. Second, this network will open up avenues for engagement with scholarship at the pan-African level that, in itself, is important but also indispensable for visibility and voice at the global level. Third, CODESRIA membership has opened up access to scholarship world-wide for many African scholars. A recent SIDA commissioned Evaluation of the Council programmes noted that most African academics who have participated in CODESRIA programmes have registered remarkable success when they apply to other programmes. Finally, membership will confer special access to some CODESRIA research outputs and a right to participate in the election of the Executive Committee, the CODESRIA organ that oversees the affairs of the Council.You can become a member by paying USD50 or its equivalent in other convertible currency through our online payment system by clicking the Join Us link on the website. Further details about membership and applications forms can also be found on the website www.codesria.org or www.codesria.sn where applicants will find more detailed information about the Council and related relevant documents. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at membership@codesria.sn.Thank you.